Inhibitory effect of oligosaccharides derived from plant xyloglucan on intestinal glucose absorption in rat.

We studied the effects of oligosaccharides which were obtained from tamarind xyloglucan by cellulase digestion on absorption of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose using the everted sacs from rat small intestine. Among oligosaccharides tested, octasaccharide and nonasaccharide, which contain D-galactose residue at non-reducing terminals, inhibited effectively absorption of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose, and their inhibitory effects were concentration-dependent. On the other hand, heptasaccharide not having D-galactose residue at its non-reducing terminal showed no inhibitory effect on absorption of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose. These results indicate that the octasaccharide and nonasaccharide may not only serve as a soluble dietary fiber with small molecular weight but also lower the blood sugar level.